Base, Coinbase’s Layer-2 Blockchain, Positions Itself to Flip Arbitrum as the Leading Ethereum L2 Network by TVL

Coinbase’s Layer-2 blockchain, Base, has recorded a major milestone in its bid to surpass Arbitrum. Both operate on the same Ethereum blockchain

Coinbase's Layer-2 blockchain, Base, is quickly approaching Arbitrum in terms of Total Value Locked (TVL). An IntoTheBlock's X post suggests that Base might soon overtake Arbitrum as the largest Ethereum Layer-2.

As of this writing, Arbitrum's TVL, according to DeFiLlama, stands at $2.595 billion, which is about $337,000,000 more than Base's TVL. Base's TVL currently sits at an impressive $2.358 billion, with experts estimating that the gap will close soon.

What makes Base's achievement more remarkable is the short span of time within which the platform has attained this level of success. As IntoTheBlock highlights, “Base, the L2 blockchain from Coinbase, has been live for just over a year.”

During this period, Base has managed to gain significant traction in terms of user adoption, transactions, and overall activity within the ecosystem. This marks a significant development, considering that Arbitrum has maintained dominance in the Layer-2 solutions' ecosystem.

However, Base now has the potential to flip Arbitrum and position itself as the leading Ethereum Layer 2 network by TVL. Base's Competitive Advantages: Speed, Cost, and Scalability

One of the key aspects that have attracted users to Base is its competitive transaction fees and fast speed. These two factors make Base an attractive option for users who wish to perform work that incurs high transaction fees.

Another advantage of Base is that it utilizes the OP Stack, an open-source development platform, to create greater compatibility and ease of transition for developers on Ethereum.

Additionally, Base's link with Coinbase makes it accessible for broader adoption in the blockchain ecosystem. Base processes transactions using the “rollups” mechanism, which allows for combining multiple transactions simultaneously and sending them as a single batch for validation on Ethereum's Layer-1.

This process makes Base unique and enables it to reduce costs and load on the main Ethereum network. Developers designed Base to enhance the scalability and efficiency of the Ethereum blockchain.

Another benefit of operating on Base is its interoperability, with the platform hosting a variety of decentralized exchanges, NFTs, and DeFi platforms. The L2 solution also offers a developer-friendly platform that allows innovators to run their Ethereum applications seamlessly.

Developers do not have to adjust their code to work with Base. Due to its scalability, it also offers high-volume transactions with efficiency. Lastly, Base remains easily accessible because of its linkage with Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S.

The Expanding Ethereum L2 EcosystemThe Ethereum L2 ecosystem is expanding with new entrants into the community. A recent addition is Unichain, a decentralized L2 designed as a home for DeFi and links across chains. The Unichain testnet went live on October 10, with the team stating that the mainnet will go live soon.

Like Base, Unichain is designed by Uniswap as a cost-effective protocol, ensuring approximately 95% lower transaction costs than Ethereum L1. The platform will have decentralized validation networks so that nodes can verify blocks. Experts anticipate that many more Layer-2 scaling solutions will emerge as Ethereum's ecosystem expands.

They expect that new entrants will efficiently address liquidity fragmentation and poor user experience. Notably, Uniswap mentioned that the L2 will facilitate seamless access to swapping, no matter which chain users are on.